Journal Entry 1 by krin511 from Olney, Maryland USA on Saturday, May 10, 2003

Read this book in 2002 - loved the importance of music throughout. 

Journal Entry 2 by krin511 from Olney, Maryland USA on Wednesday, May 14, 2003

About to start a bookring with this book. Here are the current participants:

LeapingLizzards (FL)
Bookaholic1346 (FL)
JPandJo (MA)
HikingReader (WI)
Cestmoi (Toronto, Canada)
Tamster33 (CA)
Fofum (UK)
Muzette (Canada)
WittyJean (CO)
amymehta (TX)

 

Journal Entry 3 by LeapingLizzards from Fort Myers, Florida USA on Thursday, May 22, 2003

Got it in the mail today! Can't wait to read it. Thanks! 

Journal Entry 4 by LeapingLizzards from Fort Myers, Florida USA on Friday, May 30, 2003

Finished it over the weekend. Not at all what I expected from a book about hostages.
I really enjoyed it. It is now on its way to Bookaholic1346. 

Journal Entry 5 by bookaholic1346 from Florence, Kentucky USA on Tuesday, June 03, 2003

Received in the mail today - thanks! Will read and pass it on. Happy reading!! 

Journal Entry 6 by bookaholic1346 from Florence, Kentucky USA on Thursday, June 05, 2003

Finished today and will be sending it off to the next in line when I receive the address. Thanks for sharing the book with us and happy reading!! 

Journal Entry 7 by bookaholic1346 from Florence, Kentucky USA on Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Mailed out today to JPandJo. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 8 by GirlieGoalie from Dallas, Georgia USA on Wednesday, June 18, 2003

My nightmare, a bunch of bookray's arrived at once. I just finished my class tonight and I'm diving in. I'm hoping I'll have this book along to it's next reader within the next 3-4 weeks. 

Journal Entry 9 by GirlieGoalie from Dallas, Georgia USA on Monday, July 07, 2003

The ending still baffles me. I think i figured it out but I'll need to discuss it with a friend who read the book as well. I did like the book, it was a romance but the story over the romance was even better.

Mailed to HikingReader today. 

Journal Entry 10 by HikingReader from Las Vegas, Nevada USA on Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Arrived safe and sound in my mailbox. (Keeping both the postwoman and the neighborhood dogs busy today as this is the third book that arrived!) I am trying to make the best of being unemployed at the moment and will be delighted to lose myself in a fellow alum's very successful novel!!! Thanks! 

Journal Entry 11 by HikingReader from Las Vegas, Nevada USA on Tuesday, July 29, 2003

What an elegant book. I really loved the character, Gen who I think is the center of this story. Makes you think about the power of language both verbal and musical!

I, too, am a little puzzled by the way the story is resolved in the epilogue. The book flowed beautifully and I really enjoyed it, but the end was a bit odd. I did not want a purely tragic ending, but I also did not feel totally satisfied with the way things are explained in the epilogue.

I would highly recommed this book.

Sending out at the end of this week. I will PM cestmoi today! 

Journal Entry 12 by cestmoi from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Thursday, August 07, 2003

Just recieved in the mail. I will finish the book I'm reading , then this one is up next!
Thanks for sending this. 

Journal Entry 13 by cestmoi from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Monday, August 18, 2003

This is going very slowly. Although I am interested in the story and the characters and plot are fantastic, its just not gripping me or calling to me when I put it down.
That said, the last 5 days have been crazy (power blackout) at work and home and perhaps my mind hasn't really been focused on it.
I've about 30 pages left to read..so I'll let you know my final thoughts before I send it on. 

Journal Entry 14 by cestmoi from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Friday, August 22, 2003

I found the ending very anti-climactic and the epilogue left alot of unanswered questions, which is a good thing because it makes the reader think.

I still can't truly say I enjoyed this book, but it was well written and with good
characters. Funnily enough, the ending left me feeling empty and emotionless, which I found odd considering how attached I had become to Carmen and Ishamael.

I asked a spanish speaking friend today what Bel Canto means (my little bit of Italian helped me figure out it was something like good song)...she said it meant "Well Sung"...well the tale was told very well so I think the title fits perfectly.

Sending out to Tamster33 tomorrow. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 15 by Tamster33 from San Francisco, California USA on Monday, September 08, 2003

Received today. Will read ASAP, especially since I have to discuss it in 2 weeks at my bookgroup. (Perfect timing!) Thanks! 

Journal Entry 16 by Tamster33 from San Francisco, California USA on Wednesday, September 24, 2003

I enjoyed this book, but I have to say, I think I enjoyed my book group discussion even more. The group was rather divided on their enjoyment of the book. We agreed that it was difficult to get into, but once the story got moving, it flew. There was a lot of discussion about how realistic the story was. We all had issues with the epilogue.

My other book group is going to discuss it in two weeks (I got to choose the book for the first book group, so I decided to consolidate books this month), and I can't wait to see what they have to say.

Sending off to Fofum today. 

Journal Entry 17 by Fofum from Beverley, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, December 30, 2003

I am sorry - I've been rather preoccupied with other things and didn't register this when it arrived. I will journal again when I've read it. Thanks for sending it on. 

Journal Entry 18 by Fofum from Beverley, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, October 23, 2004

Mea culpa...I am the renegade Book Crosser that held up the chain and kept everyone else waiting (becoming, I'm sure cross book crossers). I am sorry. This book was stranded at the back of a cupboard for ages and only resurfaced when I was reminded I had it. I then spent a while reading it - I felt it deserved my attention. Given the subject matter, its incarceration in my Welsh Dresser seemed somewhat apt!

I really enjoyed this book for the cleverness of the writing. It really managed to match my feelings about the narrative to the emotions of the people involved. The capture was tense, the waiting boring, the getting to know the characters fascinating and the end brutal and unsatisfactory. Very, very well written in my opinion.

I am now sending it on its way to Canada, where its arrival is eagerly awaited by Muzette who claerly has the patience of a saint and to whom I profoundly apolgise!

Enjoy. 

Journal Entry 19 by muzette on Saturday, December 04, 2004

I received it this week. Thanks Fofum! and thanks for the lovely postcard. I'll start as soon as I can. 

Journal Entry 20 by muzette on Thursday, December 16, 2004

What an interesting book.. very different from what I expected. A love story - bot not just between humans - it is the love of art that transcends any type of situation. Granted, it is a bit hard to truly get attached to most of the charaters although I found Carmen to be quite fascinating; I wanted to know about her. she seemed so fragile and yet strong that I would have liked to know where she came from, her former life! The writing is beautiful but at times it feels like a collage of people's lives. Seeing what people think of - the promises they make to themselves, their memories...- is interesting, but I felt that the hostage situation is just an excuse to have many and various people in the place. The "terrorists" have no real purpose in this story, they are just facilitators for the action. All in all, I enjoyed reading peoples' motivation and thoughts, but had difficulty grasping what the actual novel was tryng to achieve. Like everyone else, the ending was puzzling - it seems to happen out of the blue, as if chapters of the novel were missing.

12/17/04 Ready to go... WittyJean asked to be skipped... So I'll send it to the next in line as soon as possible.
12/22/04 I mailed it this morning. 

Journal Entry 21 by amymehta from Torrance, California USA on Wednesday, January 26, 2005

I received and read this book a couple of weeks ago, but I had to leave the country for a little while for a family emergency.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was well written, but I was a bit disappointed. The reviews say that it is not about a hostage situation, but it kind of is - it would have to be since that's the situation. The character development and story line were well done, but it was not so different from how a book about a hostage situation might play itself out.

I hope I'm not ruining the ending for anyone, but I give it a 7 out of 10. It was a good book, but I think my expectations were just way too high with all of the acclaim the book has received. Better luck next time - I hope the next reader has a better time of it.

Sorry for the delay - I'm sending back to the original owner this week.

Note: I'm so sorry - I just realized the book has been in my trunk, I thought that I had sent it 6 months ago! I will get it out to kris in the next couple of days. I can't believe this has happened! 

Journal Entry 22 by krin511 from Olney, Maryland USA on Wednesday, August 03, 2005

The book is now home! Thanks to everyone who participated in this bookring. 

Journal Entry 23 by krin511 at sent via media mail in Mailed to another BC member, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, August 21, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (8/20/2005 UTC) at sent via media mail in Mailed to another BC member, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

RABCK surprise! 

Journal Entry 24 by Icesong927 from Elizabeth City, North Carolina USA on Sunday, September 04, 2005

Thank you was great to find in the mail.